Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Humor: Index a la Harper's

Harper's Index is a quirky slice of statistics and often a piece of art. Alas, the archives of Harper's Index seems to be behind subscription, but here is an example and here is a great article on it ("The Index provides a list of about 40 facts centered in a vertical column on one of Harper's front pages. Adjoining facts complement one another as the list meanders through a variety of subjects, at times creating a narrative. The facts are linked through puns, jokes and contrasts; common topics include government expenditures, welfare costs and political poll results."). Anyway, here is what it inspired:
  • On a 35 min call from an iPhone on AT&T's network, how many times does the call drop? Ans: 15
  • On a 35 min call from an iPhone on AT&T's network, what is the longest continuous call? Ans: 13 min.
  • On a 35 min call from an iPhone on AT&T's network, how many calls last less than a min? Ans: 11
  • On a 35 min call from an iPhone on AT&T's network, how many show up as successfully completed calls? Ans: 10
  • On a 35 min call from an iPhone on AT&T's network, how many minutes does AT&T charge using their standard "rounding" technique upto minutes? Ans: 44 min
Finally, why the heck do I use this junk service? Because the iPhone is a white sleek piece of art, and AT&T supports CS research and pays salaries of many of my research colleagues.

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